INTEL soared 16 per cent on speculation that the iconic chipmaker could be broken up in a deal involving Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC ) and Broadcom.
TSMC has discussed the idea of operating Intel’s US factories and owning a controlling stake in the venture, Bloomberg News reported last week. Broadcom, meanwhile, has held informal talks with advisers about making a bid for Intel’s chip design and marketing business, The Wall Street Journal said.
Separately, Bloomberg reported that Silver Lake Management is in exclusive talks to acquire a majority stake in Altera, Intel’s programmable chip unit. Though the discussions have reached an advanced stage, the exact size of the stake has not been determined, according to sources familiar with the talks.
The reports gave fresh life to the idea of an Intel breakup – a topic of conjecture for investors and analysts since last year. Even the company itself has said that it’s an open question whether Intel might eventually split up its factory and product-development divisions.
Intel climbed to US$27.39 in New York trading on Tuesday (Feb 18), marking the biggest single-day increase since March 2020. The stock was already up 18 per cent this year through the end of last week, fuelled by the deal speculation.
Intel, once dominant in the chip industry, has struggled to regain its technological edge and lost market share to rivals in recent years. It also missed the shift to artificial intelligence accelerators, letting Nvidia take a commanding lead in that field. Intel’s board ousted chief executive officer Pat Gelsinger last year after his comeback plan was slow to gain momentum, and the company has been searching for a new leader.
Bloomberg reported last year that Broadcom assessed whether to pursue an Intel deal but did not move ahead with talks. Advisers continued to pitch ideas to Broadcom, sources familiar with the matter said at the time.
The TSMC factory plan might help clear the way for a deal to buy the product-development unit, but neither scenario has advanced past the early stages. Though Trump administration officials raised the idea of the TSMC deal in recent meetings, a White House representative said last week that the president would be unlikely to support a foreign entity operating Intel’s factories. BLOOMBERG
